Luke 19.11-27

Last week we saw one of my favorite passages in this entire gospel. The story of Zacchaeus is an encouragement to everyone who has ever sought Christ, who has ever found Christ. We see in his story the monumental grace we have received in Christ. And the story ends with Jesus saying in v. 10:

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

It’s a beautiful verse, and many of us would love for that to be the end of the story. You can almost see it: the movie is coming to a close, Jesus looks at Zacchaeus with a kind smile, puts his hand on his shoulder, and says, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” Zacchaeus smiles back; the music swells; both of them look off into the sunset; the shot fades to black; and the credits roll.

If that’s the way you feel, I’m sorry to disappoint you—the story doesn’t end there. It can’t; because the natural question will be, after everything that’s just happened to Zacchaeus (and others like him), What happens after that? What does Zacchaeus do with this grace he’s been given? He’s already given some indication in v. 8, but to what extent are all Christians called to do the same?

We meet Christ; we receive him; we learn what he has done for us, and we are profoundly grateful for all we have received in him.

And then what?

Today’s text deals with that question, and it deals with it in no uncertain terms.

In fact, this text should be taken together with the previous one, because the two passages take place one right after the other. V. 10 has Jesus saying, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And in v. 11, we read,

The question then,

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable...

So what he’s going to say in today’s text, he’s saying to those people who were either in Zacchaeus’s house or within earshot, listening (including Zacchaeus himself).

2 Groups:

Before we get into the parable itself, let’s look at why he’s telling it.

Setting the Stage (v. 11-14):

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

So let’s not forget that Jesus is God: he knows all things, he has a supernatural understanding of what’s going on in the minds of those who are listening to him. These people know he’s on his way to Jerusalem, the central focal point for all of Judaism. And he knows that despite what he’s said in the past, some people still think that when he comes to Jerusalem, this huge, explosive uprising that the Messiah was (they thought) going to bring about would happen.

Now, we who have been following this gospel know this isn’t the case. We know (from ) that the kingdom has come in the person of Christ, but has not yet been fully accomplished. We know that before that could happen, Christ would have to suffer, and die, and bear the punishment of his people, and be resurrected, and ascend to heaven, and spread the gospel through the church, over the course of millenia.

In other words, as of today, May 19th, 2019, Christ has done what he needed to do in order to accept the throne; he has been given the throne and now reigns over this earth; but he hasn’t yet returned to earth, to establish his eternal kingdom here.

All of that will happen before the final fulfillment of the kingdom of God.

At a point in time God only knows, Christ will return to earth, and judge the living and the dead, and bring heaven home to the new heavens and the new earth.

So what Jesus is going to talk about in this parable is that judgment. And he’s going to talk about the judgment for two reasons.

Firstly, he wants to show them that this idea they have—that the kingdom was about to appear immediately—was wrong. There will be a period of waiting for his return.

And the second reason he’s telling them about this judgment is to let them know what they must do while they wait. Or to say it another way, this time of waiting will not be passive; they are called to do something while they wait. And what they—and we—are called to do is deadly serious.

But if that’s the case, if the kingdom was going to come in a different way, then the people there at Zacchaeus’s house had to know what to do with themselves in the meantime. They had to know the deadly serious nature of what happens after someone meets Christ. Zacchaeus committed to giving nearly all he had in response to the grace he has received—and that’s good. But now he’s got to do it.

to show everyone there at Zacchaeus’s house the deadly serious nature of what happens after someone meets Christ. Zacchaeus committed to giving nearly all he had in response to the grace he has received—and that’s good. But now he’s got to do it.

As do we all.

Eschatological in nature—the “not yet” of the coming of the kingdom.

So the first thing Jesus is going to do before getting into the nitty-gritty of his parable is identify whom he is speaking of. And we’ll see in the end that his answer is, Everyone.

12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

Okay, so we have a nobleman, heir to the throne, who leaves his country to go claim the throne in the place it’s being held for him. And when he leaves, he’s going to leave behind two groups of people.

The first group he refers to is a group of “servants,” and the second group is comprised of the “citizens” of his country. If you’ve been following the gospel up to this point, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who all these people are.

The citizens are those who live in this world—those who are under Christ’s authority, but who don’t accept it (because, as we see in v. 14, they don’t want him to reign over them).

The nobleman is, of course, Jesus; and his servants are Christians, who have submitted to Christ’s authority, and who have received a mission from him—v. 13: Engage in business until I come.

The people listening at the time may not have understood exactly what their mission was, but they would soon; and we know, now, because we have the rest of the Bible. Jesus would later give his disciples their great mission, which we all share; we find it in .

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The citizens are, basically, everyone else who lives in the world—those who are under Christ’s authority, but who don’t recognize or accept that authority (v. 14, "We do not want this man to reign over us.”). He has gone to claim the throne, but while he’s gone they are under rebellion against his rule.

Now, most of the parable is going to deal with the servants—Christians. But as we’ll see, even for these Christians, the distinction between servants and rebels isn’t so cut-and-dried.

Setting the Stage: Two Groups (v. 12-14)

So a little more stage-setting here before he gets into it. Jesus is going to give us two separate groups of people, and he’s going to tell us what happens to these two groups. The first group is comprised of what he calls “servants”, and the second group, of what he calls “citizens.”

12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’

Now, after setting the stage in this way, Jesus makes a massive leap forward in time (v. 15):

C = Christians, who have their mission: do what he tells us with what he gives us. Most of the parable deals with them.

15 When he returned, having received the kingdom...

14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

So this is at the end. The king has received the kingdom, and returned.

Jesus is looking forward to that time when, after having ascended into heaven, and received the throne, he will have come back to earth. And before he establishes the new heavens and the new earth here, he is going to judge all men and women—his servants and the citizens of his country—according to their works.

W = The world he reigns over, in rebellion against him. (We’ll see them again in v. 27)

This parable will show us at least a small bit of what this judgment will entail. So he will begin by talking about the judgment of “good servants.”

Good Servants (v. 15-19)

15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Rewards, at the final judgment. (But how much emphasis to place on these rewards?)

Now, I hope you se

16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Okay, so remember Jesus had given each servant one mina (about three months’ wages for a laborer), and told them to “engage in business” until his return. In other words, “Take this money, and use it wisely. Invest it well. Make it multiply.”

The people listening at the time may not have understood the fullness of what their "business” was; and at its most basic level, they didn’t have to. They knew, at the very least, that God had given them certain resources and gifts and abilities, and Jesus was calling them to put those resources and gifts and abilities to good use, to serve God faithfully.

The people listening at the time may not have understood the fullness of what their mission was; and at its most basic level, they didn’t have to. They knew, at the very least, that God had given them certain resources and gifts and abilities, and Jesus was calling them to put those resources and gifts and abilities to good use, to serve God faithfully.

But that can’t be all he’s talking about here. This parable is distinct from the parable of the talents we find in , because in this case the king gives each of his servants the same amount of money to invest. So he’s not talking about the distinct, unique things God gives to each of us; he’s talking about our common goal—the mission he has given all of his followers.

And what is that mission? We find it in .

We find it in .

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So this is the mission God gives us, and it is the same mission for every one of his servants: tell people about Jesus, bring them into the family, and teach them to live as faithful disciples of Christ.

So this parable answers two distinct questions:

this is the mission God gives us, and it is the same mission for every one of his servants.

1) What did the servants do with the mission they had received?

2) What did they receive in return for their service?

Faithful servants

And the first thing we see is that although the mission they had received from their master was the same, the servants did not invest their money in exactly the same way; the first servant did more with the king’s minas than the second.

And the first thing we see is that although the mission they had received from their master was the same, the servants did not invest their money in exactly the same way; the first servant did more with the king’s minas than the second.

V. 16, the first servant had one mina, and he made ten minas more.

V. 18, the second servant also had one minas, and he made five minas more.

We don’t know what they did to multiply their minas, but clearly they didn’t do exactly the same thing, because they came up with different results.

You see, although we have all received the same mission from Christ, there is a myriad of ways in which we can fulfill that mission.

We can fulfill our mission through full-time ministry, by working as ministers (like I do).

We can fulfill our mission by working ordinary jobs for his glory, for the advancement of his kingdom. I know a man who runs a print shop; he prints posters and flyers and t-shirts. He does his job well, gets his orders in on time. His clients know him as a gracious, courteous and hard-working man. And because he does his job well, he regularly has opportunities to share the gospel with others; and people listen to him, because they have seen the integrity and efficiency of his work. And people have come to know Christ through the work that he does.

We can fulfill our mission by being good neighbors. I know a couple who take advantage of every opportunity to serve their neighbors in any way they can, by taking time to talk with them, by living the gospel out in full view of anyone who cares to look. And so, when they speak about Jesus, people listen. They have seen in this couple the kind of couple they themselves want to be, and so take what they say about Christ seriously.

But the question here isn’t how we fulfill our mission: Jesus never says how these two servants invested their minas. The real question is, To what point were these two servants faithful with what they were given?

Jesus rewards both servants, but he doesn’t pretend the result was the same in both cases. He doesn’t act as if the first servant didn’t do a better job than the second.

And we know why the first servant’s work was effective—it wasn’t because of his talent, it wasn’t because of his ingenuity.

In v. 17, the master says to him, “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.”

Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

It is his faithfulness that produces the results, and it is his faithfulness that is rewarded.

But he doesn’t pretend the result was the same in both cases. He doesn’t act as if the first servant didn’t do a better job than the second.

Varying rewards

Now the second servant, who earned less with the minas the master had given him, is rewarded, but because he earned less than the first, he is rewarded less as well. V. 18: 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Now this is a profoundly tricky point to untangle, but we have to do our best (without drifting into speculation). Jesus is showing us that although heaven will be a state of absolutely perfect happiness for all of us who have faith in Christ, heaven will not be exactly the same for all Christians: there will be varying rewards for us all, depending on how faithfully we serve God during our lives.

The splendor of the cities committed to them will be far less important than the fact that now they are the viceroys of the Lord and therefore among those closest to him and thus will always have access to him and be able to speak to him and tarry in his presence at all times. Their reward is that in the end the Lord will receive them with honors, that they will be privileged to speak and to live with Jesus forever. For heaven does not consist in what we shall receive, whether this be white robes and heavenly crowns or ambrosia and nectar, but rather in what we shall become—namely, the companions of our King.

Hughes, R.K., 1998. Luke: that you may know the truth, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Edwards, eternal rewards (The Portion of the Righteous, Dec. 1740)

“It will be no damp to the happiness of those who have lower degrees of happiness and glory, that there are others advanced in glory above them. For all shall be perfectly happy, every one shall be perfectly satisfied. Every vessel that is cast into this ocean of happiness is full, though there are some vessels far larger than others.

“And there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the whole society. Those who are not so high in glory as other, will not envy those that are higher, but they will have so great, and strong, and pure love to them, that they will rejoice in their superior happiness. Their love to them will be such that they will rejoice that they are happier than themselves; so that instead of having a damp to their own happiness, it will add to it. They will see it to be fit that they that have been most eminent in works of righteousness should be most highly exalted in glory. And they will rejoice in having that done, that is fittest to be done.

“There will be a perfect harmony in that society; those that are most happy will also be most holy, and all will be both perfectly holy and perfectly happy. But yet there will be different degrees of both holiness and happiness according to the measure of each one's capacity, and therefore those that are lowest in glory will have the greatest love to those that are highest in happiness, because they will see most of the image of God in them. And having the greatest love to them, they will rejoice to see them the most happy and the highest in glory.

“And so, on the other hand, those that are highest in glory, as they will be the most lovely, so they will be fullest of love. As they will excel in happiness, they will proportionally excel in divine benevolence and love to others, and will have more love to God and to the saints than those that are lower in holiness and happiness. And besides, those that will excel in glory will also excel in humility.

“Here in this world, those that are above others are the objects of envy, because that others conceive of them as being lifted up with it. But in heaven it will not be so, but those saints in heaven who excel in happiness will also in holiness, and consequently in humility. The saints in heaven are more humble than the saints on earth, and still the higher we go among them the greater humility there is. The highest orders of saints, who know most of God, see most of the distinction between God and them, and consequently are comparatively least in their own eyes, and so are more humble.

“The exaltation of some in heaven above the rest will be so far from diminishing the perfect happiness and joy of the rest who are inferior, that they will be the happier for it. Such will be the union in their society that they will be partakers of each other's happiness. Then will be fulfilled in its perfection that which is declared in , "If one of the members be honoured all the members rejoice with it."

Rewards in accordance with the work performed. (Note well: no punishment here for sin: that sin has been laid on Christ, that punishment suffered by Christ.)

Investment of the gospel—we have been given the gospel, to use according to God’s commands. Are we doing it? This isn’t a question of giftedness, or talent, but of faithfulness. The untalented, but faithful, Christian will bear far more fruit than the wildly talented, but lazy, Christian.

We’ve seen applications of this question all over this gospel. How do we invest our money (a frequent subject in this gospel)? Our time? Our prayers? Our speech? Our actions (our refusal to sin and our readiness to live holy lives)? “There can never be such a thing as a passive investment. Gospel investment requires action.” (Hughes)

Unfaithful Servants & Enemies (v. 20-27)

20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’

The king never denies he is strict.

(Two possible interpretations here, though I don’t know if it should be mentioned. The first is the interpretation, which puts these ineffective Christians in with those who will be saved, “but only as those who have passed through fire.” The second is that these Christians are nominal only, and will not be saved. I lean towards the second interpretation—with J.C. Ryle—mainly because of the way Jesus so frequently speaks of those who have received knowledge of the truth but who do nothing with it, cf. Pharisees. Rather than judging them less severely than those who reject Christ without having received the gospel, it seems that the general thrust of Scripture would see them judged more severely. I think that speaks of degrees of usefulness—not of those who concretely bore no fruit for the kingdom.)

Why then is there punishment here? Because this person’s not bearing any fruit is proof he never belonged to God to begin with. This is a nominal Christian.

(Two possible interpretations here, though I don’t know if it should be mentioned.

So what the heck do we do with v. 25?

25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

I don’t think he’s saying that all the leftover rewards from nominal Christians will go to “the best Christian” in the end, as if it were on some kind of points system. (That’s theology à la The Good Place.) I think he’s highlighting the fact that if we receive Christ, we receive grace upon grace (cf. )—rewards according to our works, and a myriad of unmerited graces besides that.

27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”

The second group (W) is back. This is brutal and severe and terrifying…and it’s meant to be. Cf. .

Reminder: Two groups, though their distinctions are somewhat hard to suss out:

Christians to whom God has entrusted eternal life, and who bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

Enemies of God.

What defines these enemies of God? The fact that they don’t want him to reign over them.

Unbelievers who reject God and his reign

And these nominal Christians clearly fall under this same category, because they want the benefits of the Christian faith without obedience to the king’s rule.

The point of these two groups is that the King has come, the King forces everyone to decide. Are we going to reject Christ? Or are we going to accept his reign over our lives? And if we say we accept his lordship, are we willing to obey his commands and invest the gospel to good use?

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.